The Road Trip
by Foodie
Summary: Steve is finally patching things up with his girlfriend Susan. Life is starting to look up for him. When the opportunity arises to visit Susan across the country in Seattle, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for a road trip in an RV with Tony, Bruce, and Clint. Four superheroes in an RV? Sounds like fun to me! Follow up piece to "Moving On". Part of my Steve Rogers series.


Steve turned off the television and sat down on the couch. His heart began to pound while he listened to the person on the other end of the line sob. "Susan," he said sharply, trying to startle her out of her hysteria, "What's the matter? What happened?"

Susan gasped for a few moments until she'd calmed down enough to speak. "Oh Steve, I'm such an idiot!" she cried. "I should never have come here. I should never have broken up with you! I want to come back!" With that, she began to cry again.

Steve's heart soared to hear her say that she regretted breaking up with him, yet at the same time, he wanted to comfort her. "I still love you, Susan," he said quietly. "I've been hoping to hear from you, but not when you're so unhappy. I hate that you're upset. Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

Susan launched into her tale of woe, explaining how lonely it was and how homesick she felt. "But the worst part is being so far away from you," she concluded with a sniffle. "I was scared that we were moving so fast. I didn't want to lose myself in you. I didn't want to become _just_ Mrs. Captain America…"

Steve sighed and frowned. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way," he said quietly. "I can see now that I was pushing too fast and that there isn't such a rush for marriage anymore. I'm still learning these new ways…"

"And I should have talked about it instead of running away! This is all my fault."

"It's nobody's fault. It's done and over with," Steve, ever the pragmatist, said. "What we need to deal with is what happens now." He was silent for a moment, and his heart began to pound again as he worked up the nerve to ask his question. "Have you been seeing anybody in Seattle?"

Susan was quiet for a moment as well before replying. "I went on one date with a guy I met at the grocery store, but it just didn't feel right…"

"Oh…" Steve didn't know why he felt upset to hear this. She'd said it hadn't worked out and she was calling him now to talk to him. That was good.

"What about you?"

"Well, I went out on a date too, and felt the same way. We decided just to be friends instead. She's a glass blower and she's making a glass Captain America sculpture for her next exhibition," Steve replied, smiling at the thought of what a nice friend Bernie was to him. "We've spent a lot of time at her studio where she's making sketches to use."

Susan was silent for a minute. "Isn't that…interesting," she replied, and Steve got the distinct feeling that she didn't find it at all interesting. "You two must spend a lot of time together. It must be quite intimate, having to pose for her."  
"Uh…" Steve frowned and furrowed his brow. "We talk about art and other things, but it's just friendly, I promise."

Susan was quiet again and Steve began to feel nervous. Maybe she was really upset. "I'm glad that you're making friends, Steve," she finally said, sounding earnest. "I heard on the news about you and the others helping out in Boston. It sounds like you're staying very busy."

Steve breathed a sigh of relief and began to tell her about the boxing group he'd started at his parish, and the comic he was working on. "I made you," he confessed. "So at least in comic form, we could be together…"

Susan began to cry again. "Oh Steve, that's the most romantic thing I've ever heard of," she sobbed. "I really don't deserve you!"

They talked for over two hours before Susan had to go to bed. "Oh it's so late over there," she said with a yawn. "You must be so tired."

"Don't worry about me, it was completely worth it," Steve replied. He was too elated to sleep anyway. They had come to the decision that they were officially dating again, or "going out" as Susan had quaintly put it. He wasn't sure he'd sleep at all that night. They promised to call again the next day and talk more.

Steve felt on top of the world after that. There was definitely no way he'd be getting to sleep that night. He knew Tony Stark would still be awake, and set off on foot to Stark Tower to share to good news with his friend.

Tony seemed surprised to see Steve walk into his lab at two in the morning. "Is something wrong?" he asked, setting down his blowtorch.

Steve grinned and proceeded to tell Tony about his phone call from Susan. Tony returned to his tinkering, but listened to his excited friend over the noise of his welding. "That's great," he said when Steve concluded his story. "So you two are back together, and living a continent apart…"

Steve frowned at the thought. "Well, maybe she'll move back here," he said cautiously. "Or I suppose I could move out there…"

"You really shouldn't move there," Tony objected immediately. "You are a New Yorker and _this_ is where you need to be."

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "But I want to be with her…" he said wistfully.

"Well, she'll just have to move back here," Tony replied, frowning. "You can handle being away from her for a little while until she can come back."

"I suppose you're right," Steve said in agreement. He yawned, suddenly exhausted now that he'd shared his great news.

"Why don't you crash here tonight," Tony suggested before picking up his blowtorch again. "Take one of the open guest rooms." With that, he returned to his work, ending the conversation.

Steve left the lab and walked down the hallway towards the guest rooms. There were at least three that he knew of, and Bruce was staying in one of them. One of the doors was closed, so Steve assumed that was Bruce's, and took the room next to it. He slipped into the soft double-bed and fell asleep within minutes.

It was well into the morning when Steve woke up, feeling voracious. After stumbling out of the bathroom across the hall, he hurried down to the kitchen. He boldly rifled through the refrigerator and cupboards, gathering food. In the midst of eating a piece of peanut butter toast and cooking a six egg omelet, Bruce and Tony walked in. "Sorry, I was starving…" Steve said sheepishly. Tony waved him off and sat down at the counter as Bruce sat down next to him.

"So, Tony was just telling me your exciting news," Bruce said as Steve flipped the omelet onto a plate. "I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks," Steve replied with a grin. He sat down across from his friends and took a bite of his food. "I just don't know what to do with myself. I want to see her soon. She's going to call again tonight. Maybe we can work out a plan to visit. Maybe I'll fly out to her…Have either of you ever been to Seattle before?"

"Nope, but it rains every day there," Tony said with a frown. "It's always cloudy and I see on the news sometimes they have mountain lions that roam the streets."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "I'm sure that's an exaggeration," he replied reassuringly. "I've been there once, to give a lecture at the University of Washington. It was spring time and there were cherry trees blooming all over the campus. It was sunny and beautiful, and _not_ raining." Tony glared at him in response. "I'm sure you'll have a great time visiting there. It's very different from here. A lot more trees."

Steve imagined walking through a town filled with cherry trees, holding hands with Susan and describing everything he saw to her. He couldn't wait to do that with her soon. He left Stark Tower later that morning, and his day was filled with visions of Susan. Nearly every thought was about wondering how it would be to see her again.

He met up with Bernie for another modeling session and told her about Susan's phone call. "You've got it bad, Steve," she commented from behind her easel. "You need to calm down or you'll scare her off again."

"I know, I'm doing my best," he replied, trying to control how giddy he felt. "I just can't concentrate on anything else."

Susan called him just as he returned to his apartment later in the afternoon. "You have no idea how nice it is to hear your voice," he said in greeting. They ended up talking for three hours that evening, and his voice was hoarse by the time they hung up. Susan wanted to come back, but was committed to her job for several more months. She would have to stay in Seattle until the end of the year. Steve was determined to visit her, but was content with daily phone calls until that could be arranged. They decided on a nightly phone call to keep in touch, and it soon became their favorite time of the day.

A few weeks went by with the daily phone calls and Steve found his mood had improved greatly. "I just miss seeing you," he said one night. "I love talking to you, but I want to see you again. I miss my girl…"

"Oh, Steve…" Susan sighed. "I love it when you call me your girl. You'll just have to come out here soon."

"Why can't you come out here?" Steve pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil and began to sketch Susan. He often did that when they spoke on the phone. He had quite a collection of them so far. Sometimes he drew both of them doing something, like washing the dishes or going on a picnic. Sometimes he drew just her. Tonight he drew both of them, lying in her bed after making love. Her hair was tousled and he was reaching out to brush it out of her eyes. It was one of the first things he wanted to do with her once they were finally reunited.

"I can't get the time off," Susan answered. "Why don't you fly out here?"

"I suppose I could. Do I just go to the airport and buy a ticket the day I want to come?"

"No…It's much more complicated than that…Maybe one of your friends could help you with it. You'll need a driver's license—"

"I don't have one…" Steve interrupted her when he realized he would have problems without any identification.

"Oh…Well, what about a state ID card?"

"No…"

"Well…Maybe flying isn't the best idea…"

"Maybe I could go in Tony's jet. It's how we got to Boston and back, after all."

"Talk to him about it, maybe he could fly out with you."

After hanging up with her, he thought about the best way to get to Seattle. Would Tony want to fly with him? He didn't seem too keen on Steve visiting at all. Why would he want to go with him? It was worth asking about, at least.

The next day, during the weekly Monopoly match, he brought it up while Tony was on a good winning streak. "What do you think is the best way for me to get to Seattle? Susan says I have to have identification to board a plane…"

"You could walk; it'll probably only take a few weeks to get there," Tony said flippantly. "Or you could hitchhike. It's rather dangerous, but you're Captain America, they probably wouldn't mess with you."

"Or, Tony, you could offer him the use of your jet," Bruce said calmly. "It's only a visit; he's not moving there."

"That's how it starts…" Tony muttered.

"I'm _not_ moving there," Steve said, trying to reassure his friend. "I just want to visit Susan for a few days, that's all. If you're so worried, why don't you come with me? Maybe Bruce could join us too."

"I'm sure that would be a lot of…fun," Bruce replied diplomatically.

Tony folded his arms and huffed for a few moments. "Fine, we'll all go in a couple weeks. You and Susan can spend your birthday together having wild, crazy sex," he said crudely.

Steve flushed and looked down at his hands. "I…I…"

"Tony, you just can't ever be nice, can you?" Bruce yelled, punching Tony on the arm. "What is your problem?"

Tony crossed his arms and sulked for a minute. "All right, all right," he replied grudgingly. "We'll all go and we'll have a great time."

Steve smiled and patted his friend's shoulder. "Thanks Tony," he said quietly. "I'll be forever in your debt."

Tony grinned. "Wonderful…"

"I'm sure Steve meant that figuratively, _not_ literally," Bruce added with a touch of warning in his voice.

Tony frowned and took a swig of his beer. "Of course," he replied.

That night, Steve told Susan about flying out for the Fourth of July. "Oh Steve! This is so wonderful!" she cried happily. "I'll count down the days." Steve drew them sitting on a hill, watching fireworks as they talked that evening.

(SCENE)

Bernie had finished her sketches and had begun to work on the glass sculptures of Captain America. Steve was nervous about how they would turn out. He didn't want to look like he was boastful about his physique, and Bernie had assured him it wouldn't be like that. "You're just going to have to trust me, Steve," she said when she'd finished her last sketch. "Now, you have to leave, because I don't like people watching me sculpt. You can come back in a few weeks when I finish."

Steve hated to wait for the results. He talked at length with Susan about it. "Don't worry, Steve," she said soothingly. "I'm sure she'll do a wonderful job. She did a very thorough job sketching you, after all…"

"I suppose."

"So, tell me the latest with your comic strip. What's Private Jimmy been up to lately?" Susan was always good at distracting him away from his fears.

"Well, he's learning about computers now," Steve replied. "Apparently the 'World Wide Web' has nothing to do with a gigantic spider…"

Susan laughed for a minute. "Oh Steve, you're so clever," she finally replied. "Your comic will be a huge hit, I just know it."

"It might be fun to share it with others," Steve admitted. Both Susan and Bernie had given him positive feedback, but he'd been too nervous to share it with Tony or Bruce yet. He didn't want to show it to Tony and have him tell him how horrible it was.

The opportunity for Steve to share it with a friend arrived a week later when he and Clint ran into each other outside SHIELD headquarters. Steve had been in a meeting with Nick Fury, and Clint was there to get his next assignment. Clint insisted on going out for drinks, even though it was only ten in the morning. "So, tell me what's going on in your life," he said as they sat down in a nearby bar.

Steve told him about reuniting with Susan and how they were flying out to meet her soon. "That's great," Clint said before sipping his whiskey and smiling. "The way you were mooning over her, it's better you're back together now."

"Tony, Bruce, and I are going to fly out over the Fourth of July so I can visit her in person."

Clint frowned and drained his drink. "And you didn't invite me? I'm so coming with you," he replied, settling the matter. "I'll call Tony tonight and sort it all out."

"That'll be…great," Steve said as a sense of dread came over him at the thought of traveling with all three of them for a long period of time. It was time for a change of subject. "So, do you remember that day at the strip club when you saw me drawing on those napkins?"

Clint thought for a moment. "I think I passed out that day," he replied. "But I'll believe you that I looked at your drawings."

"Anyway, you told me that they were good and that I should do more. I started my own comic strip and I wanted somebody else to look at it and tell me what they think. Would you mind?"

Clint set his glass down and shook his head slowly. "I would be honored," he said earnestly. He took the papers Steve had placed in a folder, and began to read through them. Within a minute, he was howling with laughter. "That's so Tony," he commented as Private James's friend tried to avoid getting arrested by flirting with a female police officer. "I bet he's actually done that before…"

Steve took the papers back when Clint had finished reading them. "So they were all right?" he asked cautiously.

"They were great! But you need to make me next" Clint replied. "You'll make a million dollars for sure if you do!"

"Thanks," Steve replied with a grin. He couldn't wait for Bernie to have the time to help him publish them online.

That night, he told Susan about it, and how happy he felt. "Life is just so good right now," he said.

"Be careful, you don't want to jinx it," Susan replied.

"I don't believe in jinxes."

"Well, you might want to knock on wood anyway, just in case…"

After he hung up with Susan an hour later, he got another phone call, this time from Tony. "So, I just spoke with Clint, and we've changed the plans. He's coming with us and I decided it would be much better if we rented an RV to drive across the country instead."

"What's an RV?"

"It's like a giant van that has beds. We'll be able to sleep in it overnight and keep driving."

"So how long will that take?"

"A week or so, probably. But we'll stop and see the sights along the way."

Steve's feeling of dread returned. Being in a giant van with those people for a week would probably end with one or more of them being killed by the others. His money was on Bruce killing Clint and Tony in a fit of rage. It was the most plausible scenario. Maybe I should have knocked on wood after all, he thought to himself while Tony talked incessantly about the now road trip to Seattle.

(SCENE)

Steve never thought he would enjoy going on a long trip with his three friends, but it had ended up being surprisingly wonderful so far. They had listened to the blues and eaten deep-dish pizza and hot dogs in Chicago.

And he had always dreamed as a child, of visiting the new national monument, Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota, but money and traveling had eluded him. To be able to see it now, was a dream come true. Bruce, the keeper of the camera, took several pictures of him in front of the large carved mountain display. "Isn't it beautiful?" he said to Tony as they looked up at it.

Tony nodded his head. "I have to admit, it's pretty impressive," he replied. "Who knows, maybe one of us will be carved into it one day."

Steve chuckled. "Well, one of us would have to be elected president first," he said. Steve had wanted to visit the Corn Palace as well, but had been vetoed by the others.

"It's corn, Steve," Clint had said. "Nobody wants to see corn…"

"Well, it might be interesting," Bruce said diplomatically. "But it is getting late and we wouldn't be able to see it very well after dusk. Maybe on the next trip…"

Bruce and Steve were most excited to visit Yellowstone National Park a couple days later. "I've never been there, but there's so much to see," Bruce said animatedly.

"I can't wait to see Old Faithful," Steve added. "It's another place I always dreamed about as a kid."

"Dude, _you're_ Old Faithful," Clint called out sarcastically from the back of the RV. Both he and Tony were less enthused. "I don't know…" Clint continued. "Camping…no cities…What is there to do really?" Bruce launched into a half hour-long explanation of all the park had to offer in terms of geology, flora, and fauna. Clint fell asleep five minutes into it, but woke up once they arrived and found a parking spot.

Both Clint and Tony seemed impressed, however, once they looked around. "We should camp here tonight," Bruce suggested.

Once they got settled into a camp site, Bruce acted as a tour guide for the group, explaining how all the different types of hot springs worked, and pointed out all the natural wonders. Steve was fascinated with some of the names: Emerald Spring, Lion Geyser, Dragon's Mouth mud volcano…All the names were so fanciful, but fitting. The colors and sounds and smells were unbelievable. He thought he could spend a month here and not see all there was to see. He spent a lot of his day sketching pictures of the springs.

They spent a few days at Yellowstone, enjoying time together and time apart, exploring everything they could. Everybody was duly impressed with Old Faithful and how high up it could spray water. "Now _that_ is cool," Clint said, wide-eyed in spite of himself.

"We should go to the Grand Canyon," Steve said that night as they sat around a campfire. "Isn't our country amazing? So much to see and do. We really are blessed to live here…"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Captain America…You really ended up with the perfect name."

"There's nothing wrong with loving my country," Steve replied defensively as he placed a toasted marshmallow onto a piece of chocolate set between two graham cracker squares. Clint had taught him how to make S'mores, and now he couldn't get enough. "Is there anything more delicious than this?" he said before taking a bite.

"You'll be up all night if you keep eating those," Bruce replied lightly. "But they are good, I agree." He made one for himself and ate it with a smile on his face.

They spent the evening talking about the highlights of the trip so far, and rehashed some of the arguments as well. "I don't think we're ever going to resolve this issue," Bruce finally declared, trying to end a long-standing debate between Clint and Tony. "Pepper and Natasha are equally good-looking. They both have wonderful personalities and qualities that make them great people."

Tony and Clint glared at Bruce. "What are you doing checking out my girlfriend?" Clint asked, frowning.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "I have never 'checked out' your girlfriend, but I have eyes, don't I?"

Tony looked at him suspiciously for a moment. "Maybe we should get you a girlfriend of your own," he commented.

Bruce frowned and shook his head. "Being in a relationship in my condition isn't really ideal," he replied sadly.

"Bullshit," Tony replied. "It's like anything else in life. You'd deal with it together and make it work. You're just scared, that's all."

Steve looked back and forth at the two, feeling shocked at Tony's brazenness. He agreed with him, however. Now that he knew Bruce more, he could see what a wonderful person he was. He did have better control over himself now. He'd managed to go this far into the trip without breaking out into the Hulk. If he could manage that, he could manage a relationship.

Bruce pursed his lips and crossed his arms. "If I ever hurt somebody, I couldn't live with myself," he said. "And even worse would be to hurt somebody I love. It's better just to be alone."

Clint walked into the RV and came out a minute later with a chilled six-pack of beer from the refrigerator. He handed each of them a beer. "Well this got deep all of a sudden," he said before opening his beer and taking a swig. "I hate it when it gets deep…"

Steve drank his beer and ate his S'more while they sat in contemplative silence. "Maybe you could try going on a date sometime," he suggested quietly to Bruce.

"Just…" Bruce shook his head again as he trailed off.

"So, are we heading to Vegas next or what?" Clint asked, changing the subject abruptly. "The camping's been fun, but I need some Sin City time now…"

"Sin City?" Steve asked.

"Pick your poison," Clint said with a gleam in his eye. "Women, booze, and gambling; does there need to be anything else in life?"

"I have a girlfriend, I won't be spending time with other women," Steve replied. "And I'm not a gambler."

"Well I am; I'm so in," Tony said with a grin.

"I'm not fond of Vegas," Bruce added. "I wouldn't mind skipping it."

"Two against two," Clint said. "If only Thor was here, he'd break the tie. He'd definitely be in favor of going."

"Thor in Vegas, now that's a scary thought," Tony mused.

"Loki in Vegas is an even scarier thought," Clint added. Both men grimaced and chugged their beer at the thought.

"So, half of us want to go and half of us don't. What to do…" Steve murmured. "Bruce and I could drop you two off in Vegas and we could go to Seattle on our own…"

"What do you think? Fourth of July in Vegas?" Clint asked Tony.

"Sounds like heaven," Tony replied. "Let's do it!"

With the decision to part ways made, the four friends returned to the RV to sleep. Beer and S'mores turned out to be a sleep elixir for Steve, because he drifted off to sleep within minutes of going to bed.

He woke much later in the morning, to the sensation of somebody shaking his bed. "Quit it, Tony, not funny," he mumbled before opening his eyes. When he managed to open them enough to look around, he was surprised to see there was nobody near his bed. He sat up, looked around, and gasped when the side of the RV closest to him shook again. There was a loud banging sound at the same time.

He slowly got up and walked towards the nearest window to see what was happening. "What in the world?" Outside the RV stood a large buffalo. He watched as the buffalo ran at the RV and slammed into it. He was nearly knocked off his feet by the impact. The other men had joined him at the window by now and stared in shock. "What should we do? I'm not going out there…"

"I could shoot it," Clint offered warily.

"You can't just shoot a buffalo, Clint. This isn't 'Oregon Trail'," Bruce replied. "Besides, it's a protected species."

"I'll take care of it," Tony said before walking over to the suitcase in which his suit was stowed. He'd brought it with him in case of an emergency. When he was suited up, he walked out of the RV and around to the side with the attacking buffalo.

Everybody else watched from the window as Tony waved his arms, getting the animal's attention. The buffalo ran at him, but Tony was able to hold it back with his hands. When the buffalo had stopped, he walked behind it and began pushing it away from the RV. The buffalo appeared to be obstinate, though, and resisted being pushed. "Are you a goat, you stubborn bastard?" they heard Tony yell.

Steve sighed. "I should go help him," he said before grabbing his shield he'd kept under his bed, and walked outside. He was still in his blue and white polka dot pajamas, but didn't care. "Come on Mr. Buffalo," he said cautiously, trying to get the animal's attention. When he was near it, he was shocked at the size. It was a gigantic beast! He had no experience with animals of such size and tried not to let fear overtake him. It ran towards him, and he used his shield to keep it at bay. "Let's try to steer it back to the field," he called out to Tony. "That's where it should be anyway."

Tony moved to the front and tried to get the buffalo to chase after him while Steve took over pushing it from behind. The buffalo soon began to chase after Tony, who used his jet thrusters to take to the air and fly towards the field. With the buffalo running after Tony, Steve walked back to the RV, and noticed fellow campers watching them. Many of them had their cell phones and were taking pictures and shooting video of the show he and Tony were putting on. He rolled his eyes when he thought of the story this would make. It was a good thing he wasn't on the internet yet…

Once the buffalo was back in the field, Tony flew up in the air, allowing it time to become distracted by two other buffalo roaming around, before returning to the RV as well. Campers applauded and Tony took a bow before walking back into the RV to change out of his Iron Man suit.

"Well that was quite a start to the day," Clint said with a shake of his head. Bruce and Steve made breakfast for the group, and soon they were eating pancakes and sausages and laughing over the morning's adventures.

"It's a good thing we're leaving today," Tony said, "I think the buffalo was trying to tell us something…"

"He was trying to tell me it's time to see Susan again," Steve replied wistfully.

Clint rolled his eyes. "No, it's telling us to get ready for Vegas," he corrected.

After cleaning up and packing, Bruce started up the RV to leave. "Well, it's been fun," he declared as they drove away. "I will definitely have to come back again some day."

It took a while to get figure out the best way to get to the airport. They had decided it would take too long to drive Clint and Tony to Vegas before driving to Seattle, so taking them to the nearest airport was the better option. It took consulting a map of the country, checking Tony's iPhone, and three arguments before deciding the right way.

When they arrived at the airport a couple hours later, Tony and Clint gathered their suitcases and carried them out of the RV. As Tony left, he nodded at Bruce and Steve. "Have a safe trip to Seattle," he said to Bruce, nodding at him before turning to look at Steve. "You make sure to come back home after this," he instructed Steve.

"Don't worry, I will," Steve promised. He waved at Clint and Tony as Bruce drove away from them. "Well, just a few more days till we get there," he commented after they'd driven in silence for several minutes. It was the first time he and Bruce had spent any real time alone on the trip, and he wasn't sure what sort of conversation to have with him. Bruce didn't seem too inclined to talk much, but the silence got to Steve after a while. "So, did you want to meet Susan when we get to Seattle?" he asked quietly.

"Sure, I'd love to," Bruce replied. "I'll stick around for a while, then I'll take off and let you two enjoy yourselves…"

Steve blushed and gazed out the window. "Thanks, I really do miss her so much." He was quiet for another minute or two before speaking again. "You won't be lonely all by yourself there, will you? Because I could make the time to do stuff with you if you wanted…Maybe we could all go out for the Fourth and see if there are fireworks anywhere." He'd read a lot about modern Fourth of July celebrations and looked forward to seeing a large fireworks display.

"It's your birthday then too, right? I'll look around to see if there will be a fireworks show anywhere," Bruce offered. "It'll be fun."

The two men ended up having a pleasant time together getting to know one another better. It wasn't the first time that Steve was glad Bruce had returned. He completed Steve's new group of friends.

It took a day and a half to get to Seattle. Steve was impressed with how green the city was. There were lush evergreen trees everywhere. It was a hot, sunny day and he decided that Susan had chosen well with the city she'd moved to.

Bruce pulled the RV into the free space in front of Susan's apartment building. "Are you ready?" he said, looking at Steve.

Steve glanced at the apartment building and took a deep breath. His heart started to pound anxiously. Susan was in there. He felt like his entire future was on the line right now and that everything could change forever as soon as he saw her again. "I'm ready," he said, taking a deep breath and opening the door of the RV.

Bruce walked alongside him as they approached the front door. Steve reached out and pushed the button to Susan's apartment. A minute later, he heard a response. "Hello?"

"Susan, it's Steve," he said, trying to keep his voice under control. "Bruce and I are here."

"Oh Steve!" was her response before buzzing them in. Steve rushed inside and over to the elevator at the end of the foyer. Bruce hurried to keep up. It didn't take long before they were knocking on Susan's door.

In the seconds it took for Susan to answer the door, Steve's heart began to pound again. When the door opened, revealing Susan's face, his heart stopped. The entire world ground to a halt around him and all he saw was her. Her face looked pensive and nervous, but beautiful too. He reached his hand out and gently brushed his fingers against her hand. "Baby," he murmured. He stepped towards her and watched as she broke into a grin. Before he knew it, they were wrapped in each other's arms, and showering each other with kisses.

They stepped into the apartment, Bruce walking in after them and shutting the door behind them. They continued to kiss for a couple more minutes, until Bruce cleared his throat loudly.

Steve pulled himself away from Susan. "One of my friends came with me all the way from New York," he said once he'd regained the ability to speak. "Actually there were two others, but they're in Las Vegas right now. Susan, I'd like you to meet Bruce Banner, he's one of the Avengers too." With a smile, he turned to Bruce. "Bruce, this is Susan…"

Bruce smiled and stepped forward. Steve had told him that she was blind, and took her hand in his. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Steve has told me all about you."

Susan smiled as well and returned the handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Bruce," she replied. "I'm so happy that Steve had so many wonderful friends to come with him all the way across the country." Susan reached her hand out for Steve to take. He took it and pressed it to his chest lovingly. "It's dinnertime, are you two hungry? I could make dinner…"

Bruce looked at them for a moment before replying. "Actually, I need to be off. I have some things to do over the next few days. I'll be back on the Fourth, so we can all go see the fireworks. You two have a great time here, all right?"

Steve shook his hand and walked him towards the door. "Thanks Bruce, for everything," he said while opening the door. "I'll see you soon." He closed the door when Bruce walked away and turned back to look at Susan. "I guess it's just us for dinner," he said. "Let's order in…"

"I guess that would save me time from cooking," Susan said with a grin. "And it has been so hot here lately…"

"Well, we don't want to heat up the place then," he said, taking a step towards her. "At least not from the cooking…"

Susan stepped closer to him, holding her hand out to take his. "I don't mind the heat too much."

Steve took her hand and pulled her against himself. "Well then, we'd better see what we can do. I don't want you getting cold in here." With that, he bent down and pressed his lips to hers. At some point in time, they ended up on the couch, kissing passionately. Steve lost all track of time after that, and the next thing he knew, he was waking up in Susan's bed the next morning.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and held onto her tightly. "So, what are the plans for today?" he asked as she stirred.

"I was thinking pretty much this," she murmured.

"Perfect, that's what I was thinking too," Steve replied with a grin.

Steve didn't leave Susan's apartment for the next two days, not that he minded at all. They talked a lot about their lives and the direction they saw them going in. Susan wanted to maintain her own independence but also wanted to have a life with Steve. "I can be married to you and still have my own life, right?" she'd asked him at one point in time. Steve assured her he fully supported this idea.

Steve felt much more confident about their relationship by the time his birthday arrived. He would continue to work on his patience and enjoying his time with Susan without pressuring her to go further than she was ready to go. And Susan would continue to try to understand his mindset and how difficult it was for him to continue adjusting to the way the world was now. He was very hopeful for their future.

The Fourth dawned as a cool and cloudy morning, and the happy couple left Susan's apartment for the first time to go out to breakfast for Steve's birthday. They walked arm-in-arm to a local diner and enjoyed several of the offerings. "You know, you're pretty spry for a ninety-five year old man," Susan said with a chuckle while they ate. "You'd never know it if I judged you based on the last couple of days…"

Steve blushed and looked around quickly to see if anybody was listening to them. "Susan, you can't speak about that in public," he hissed. "What if somebody hears you?" He was still shocked that people now spoke in public about sex with no sense of embarrassment. He wasn't sure it would be something he'd ever get over.

Susan waved him off. "Oh Steve, nobody is going to notice," she replied lightly. "And even if they do, they won't care."

The meal went on after that, with nobody paying any attention to their conversation. Steve felt better to know that they were being left alone. He was able to finish his four plates of food in peace.

Later that afternoon, Bruce was due to return, so neither was surprised to hear him buzz to be let in. Steve was shocked, however, to see Tony and Clint with him when Bruce knocked on the door. "What? I thought you were in Las Vegas," Steve said incredulously, letting them in the door.

"Well, we had a great time in Vegas, but we decided that we needed to be with our friend on his first birthday since his return to the world," Tony replied with a shrug.

"Bruce texted us and we thought it was a good idea," Clint added as he eyed Susan. "And is this the long-awaited Susan?"

Steve introduced everybody and Tony took his time shaking Susan's hand and questioning her. "Well, I'm glad to see you two kids are working things out and that you're planning on moving back to the City. Steve will be happy to have you back home," he said after several minutes.

Bruce had done research on where to go see the fireworks, and took charge of driving the RV again. They stopped at a grocery store and bought provisions for a picnic along the way. It was several hours before the fireworks, but the weather was decent enough to warrant a long afternoon at the park where much of Seattle was also gathering.

Steve spread a blanket on the grass of the gently sloping hill and helped Susan and Diggory settle in. He described all the sites of the park, including all the rusted buildings and pieces of machinery that had been left from the old gasworks plant that the park was named for. The hilly park jutted out into Lake Union, and though it looked small and compact from far away, it was much larger than it appeared. It was crowded, but not overcrowded. He decided it made an odd, but very intriguing sight that added a lot of flavor to the city.

Throughout the afternoon, there was music and other entertainment, but the group enjoyed talking to one another for most of the time. Tony seemed to like getting to know Susan better, and Steve loved to see that. Maybe some of Tony's fears would be overcome once he got to know her more. Clint and Bruce engaged in a long, quiet conversation about something Steve couldn't make out, but decided to let them have their privacy. He took the opportunity to walk around and take in all the sights and sounds.

When he returned a while later, he found that Susan had handed out sandwiches and everybody was eating in contented silence. He sat down next to her and took the sandwiches she held out for him. "Bruce got you three, he knows how much food it takes to fill you up," she said with a smile. "Your friends are just wonderful, Steve. I can see why you like them."

Steve grinned. "I'm glad you like them," he replied. "Has Tony been giving you any trouble?"

"No, not at all," Susan replied. "He's been very polite."

Steve furrowed his brow and glanced over at his friend. "That doesn't sound like him at all," he murmured. What was Tony up to?

Later, after they'd finished eating, and Steve had helped Susan find a restroom, he had a chance to speak with Tony alone. They left Susan with Bruce and Clint and walked around in search of a stand selling something that would qualify as dessert.

"So, Susan is quite impressed with you," Steve said casually. "She said you've been quite the gentleman to her." As he talked, two young children and their mother ran up to them and asked for photographs with the superheroes. He and Tony knelt down and smiled as the children stood next to them. The mother snapped a few shots, thanked them for their time, and herded her children away.

"Well yes, I am capable of that on occasion," Tony replied once they were alone again. He looked around for a stand and pointed out one that was selling cotton candy. "Susan is a very sweet girl. I can see why you like her so much."

"I'm shocked, Tony, I really am," Steve said, moving off the paved path and over to the stand. "I expected you to make her cry. I anticipated at least one fistfight with you tonight…"

Tony shrugged. "I _had_ planned on it, but…" he smiled and waved at a group of attractive young women sitting on beach towels. They were wearing bikinis that didn't leave much to the imaginiation. "I dunno…It seemed mean, somehow…"

"I've never known you to care about that before." Steve glanced at the scantily-clad women and quickly looked away again. He couldn't imagine wanting to dress like that in public. Had they no shame?

Tony frowned. "Me neither. It was quite shocked myself. I was going to do my best to scare her off, but I just couldn't. I mean, if she wasn't blind, I probably would have…" They approached the line for the cotton candy, and stood there as it slowly moved, waiting for their turn.

"Ah…I get it," Steve replied with a nod. "I understand the instinct to protect her because of her disability, but she has assured me many times that she just wants to be treated like everybody else. I still struggle with it too sometimes…Now, that doesn't mean you can be cruel to her."

"Well, now that I know her, I don't really feel like it anymore…" Tony approached the front of the line and ordered his dessert.

Steve grinned. "I didn't think I'd ever see you have qualms, Tony." He stepped forward and ordered two for himself and Susan as Tony left the line with his food.

"I don't have qualms. You take that back!" Tony pointed his fluffy pink candy at Steve and glared.

"No takebacks." Steve turned and started walking back to the rest of the group, grinning. He wondered what the look on Tony's face was but didn't dare turn back to see it.

As they walked back in silence to the others, Tony veered off when they passed the women in bikinis. The last Steve saw of him for a while was when he sat down in the middle of the group and held his stick of cotton candy out to share with them. Steve rolled his eyes and walked back to give Susan her dessert. The rest of the evening passed quite pleasantly for the group. Tony joined them a while later and no more mention was made of their quarrel.

Once it got dark, the fireworks started. The clouds that had burned off earlier in the afternoon had rolled back in again, but the fireworks were still visible. Steve was amazed at them and described all the shapes and colors in great detail to Susan. The sounds of the explosions brought him back to the war. They sounded like bombs going off in the distance, but he did his best to ignore the slight feeling of panic they gave him. It was moments like this that forced him to remember it still hadn't been that long since he'd been in the war.

When it was all over, the group returned to the RV to go back to Susan's apartment. Bruce announced that he felt his blood pressure rising from the bad traffic, and let Tony take over driving.

"Do you have to honk the horn all night long?" Clint snapped after Tony had left his hand on the horn for nearly a minute. "The car in front of you has twenty cars in front of it. Honking is not going to help!"

Tony honked the horn for several more seconds for good measure before he stopped. "It makes me feel better," he muttered.

It took over an hour for the group to get back to Susan's apartment. Tony and Clint were still sniping at one another and everyone agreed it was for the best for Tony to sleep on Susan's couch that night and Clint and Bruce would sleep in the RV.

Tony sat on the couch while Susan got him a blanket and extra pillow. Steve sat in an armchair and rubbed Diggory's stomach. "I want a dog," Tony said with a frown. "I should get a dog."

Steve shook his head. "You're not responsible enough for a pet," he replied. "It's a lot of work."

Tony pouted for a moment before leaning down to pet Diggory's ears. "JARVIS could take care of the work."

"JARVIS is a computer program. It can't take care of a dog."

"Pepper could…"

Steve looked disapprovingly at his friend. "Do you really think she'd appreciate that?

Tony was quiet for a moment. "No," he finally admitted. "I suppose it's just another good reason that Susan is moving back soon. I could play with her dog whenever I wanted to."

"Well, whenever he's not busy. Diggory is a working dog after all."

Susan allowed Diggory to stay out in the living room with Tony that night as she and Steve retired to her room. "You two have fun! If it gets too loud and I can't sleep out here, I may have to join you…" Tony called out after them, cackling wickedly as Steve shut the bedroom door and cringed. There was no way he'd be able to be intimate with Susan when Tony was out in the living room. The man was depraved and probably would try to join them like he'd said.

Once settled into bed, Steve wrapped his arm around Susan's waist and held her close. He could smell her floral-scented shampoo as he nuzzled the back of her neck. He couldn't wait until this was a daily occurrence. He hoped Susan would come to her senses soon and married him without having to wait too much longer. His last thought before drifting off to sleep, was how happy he'd be once they were married.

The next morning, Steve had to get ready to leave for the roadtrip back to New York City. Susan was staying behind, but he wasn't ready to be parted from her. He found it more difficult than he imagined it would be. "I could stay, and help you move at the end of the year," he said early the next morning as they got dressed. "I don't know that I can manage to go almost six months without seeing you again…"

"Steve, darling, I love you madly, but we are still dealing with our issues. Time apart will be good for us, but this time we have the phone and we can Skype. Have one of the guys show you how to do that. It's going to be difficult, but we'll get through it. We'll be a stronger couple for it." He could tell she was trying to sound strong for his sake. The sad look on her face told him how she really felt about being parted from him.

Tears stung Steve's eyes as he brushed his teeth and combed his hair. How could he live without her again? He felt as though he could not go on with life without her.

Tony sat next to him in the kitchen as they ate breakfast that morning. Bruce and Clint joined them for bowls of cereal and fruit. "So, are you ready to go after this?" Tony asked Steve casually. "Are you all packed? We have a lot of miles to cover today."

Steve looked at Susan and frowned. He reached out his hand and put it on hers. "I just…I can't leave you," he said quietly. "I'll stay here with you…"

Tony looked at them for a moment before standing up from his chair and turning to Clint and Bruce. "Come on guys, we're leaving now," he said quickly. "Get ready Steve." Bruce and Clint set down their cereal bowls and stood up to leave. Clint reached out to the fruit bowl and grabbed a pear and an apple, and stuffed them into his pockets.

Steve threw his arms around Susan and held onto her tightly. Susan sniffled and hugged him back. "Oh Steve," she whispered in his ear. "I love you so much…I don't want you to go either, but you have to. I'm so sorry…"

Steve kissed her passionately. He didn't care if his friends witnessed it. "I can't, I can't," he said in between kisses. Tears filled his eyes and spilled down onto their cheeks. They kissed for several more minutes until he felt hands on his shoulders pulling him away from Susan.

"Come on, we're going now," Tony said, keeping his hold on Steve's shoulders. "You promised, remember? You _promised_!" He tugged Steve away from Susan and over towards the front door.

Bruce and Clint flanked Steve's other side as they walked out of the apartment. Susan walked out after them. "I'll be back in December, Steve," she called out. "We'll be together then!"

Steve felt like his heart was being torn out of his body and being left behind in Susan's world. Normally the three men wouldn't have been a match to his strength, but they were able to commandeer him to the RV without much of a fight. He felt like he'd given up and was no longer able to hold them off.

Tony looked up and saw Susan leaning out of her apartment window. "We'll call you tonight to check in," he called up to her before shutting the door. "Let's go, Bruce." Bruce started up the RV and pulled out into traffic a minute later.

Steve was despondent in the chair he'd been settled into. Clint sat up front with Bruce, but looked over his shoulder once in a while to look at the other two, concern showing in his features. Tony sat next to Steve, with a rare worried look on his face. "You know, when we get back, I'm going to watch 'National Lampoon's Vacation' with you. You'll love it. It's about a long roadtrip…" he said, clearly trying to distract his friend.

Steve didn't respond. He hadn't heard a word. All he could think about was Susan. Tears filled his eyes again and he turned to look out the window so nobody would see him crying. In an even rarer moment of compassion, Tony frowned, wrapped an arm around Steve's shoulders, and gave him a hug. "It's going to be all right," he murmured. "You'll get through this. We'll help you. I'll help you. And before you know it, she'll be back…"

Steve hoped Tony was right, and that time would fly between now and Christmas. It would be a long trek home, and there was nothing awaiting him when he returned. For the first time in a long time, he wished he'd never awoken from his accident.


End file.
